Sometimes you have to be flexible!

Another day in paradise started off with a boat full of snow and a slick wet harrowing drive over the pass to Livingston. Four inches of new snow greeted me this morning just after I spent the previous day washing the truck and spit shining the drift boat. I got an early start so I arrived in Livingston with plenty of time to spend another ten bucks at the Car wash in Livingston, clearing the snow that drifted from the back of the truck into the boat. After clearing the snow and getting the boat ready for the day I headed to the shop to meet my clients for the day. Livingston only got a dusting but the rain and warm weather from the previous two days had caused the Lamar to spit out a plug of muddy water and it was just about to hit town. On the ride over I was greeted with a weather advisory for a high wind warning from Livingston to Reed Point. The mud coming down the valley left us with no option for escaping the wind and we had to commit to a float below town to stay away from the mud.

The clients were ready and eager when I got to the shop at 8:15 and after the usual paperwork, looking over the gear and picking out a few flies for the day we made our way for Springdale. Rob Olsen was my guide partner for the day and we were being joined by four ministers from around the country. Jeremy was from Memphis, Glenn resided in Washington D.C., Bill was from Austin and Tom hailed from San Antonio. They were all minister that meet in seminary school and had been making an annual trip somewhere each year to catch up and enjoy each others company.

When we got to Springdale Doug and Mike were at the ramp getting their boat ready in a steady 20 mph wind with gust into the 30's. I talked to Rob to see if he was interested in changing our plans and wading the Boulder instead of taking a sailing trip down the Yellowstone. He told me he was up for anything so I headed over to talk with the group about the new plan. They were open to anything and told me all they really cared about was catching some fish, seeing some nice scenery and having a good time. My job was to guide them through the day and make sure they had a great time. I headed over to Rob and told him they were up to driving the extra distance to try and get a break from the wind. We left Doug and Mike and wished them luck with their sailing venture. When we arrived in Big T we dropped the boats at the Super 8 and headed up the Boulder Valley. As we crossed the river at the 8 mile bridge the river was pretty off color, I hoped it was just the West Fork and by the time we got to the next bridge the river had turned to a rustic red color and I had thoughts of spending a wasted day driving around burning fuel for no good reason.

We arrived at the Forks and thankfully the West Fork was the culprit and the Main stem of the river was in great shape. The guys pulled on their waders and Rob and I rigged the rods. The wind was still blowing pretty hard but at least we had a bit of protection in the river bottom with all the trees and high banks. We headed down stream and got everyone into their fishing positions. I set Tom in his spot and headed a bit further downstream with Glenn. Glenn hooked and landed a nice rainbow right out of the gate and I knew we had made a good choice. We spent the rest of the morning landing some very nice rainbows and by lunch we were pretty satisfied with the fishing. The river was starting to get some color as the day progressed and when we met back up with Rob, Bill and Jeremy it had gone from gin clear to a couple feet of visibility.

We had a very nice lunch on the bank of the West Fork and after everyone had a full belly we headed back to the truck for some more fishing. We headed up the river to another spot and when we arrived at the new access the river clarity had taken a turn for the worse. Clarity had dropped to around a foot and there was starting to be some floating debris in the water. I was sure that we were in for a quick end to the day but as the afternoon progressed the clarity got a bit better and we ended the day with a foot and a half of clarity. The afternoon fishing was not as consistent but we did manage to catch a few more fish and the hot bug of the day was a wire worm. The day ended with a few more fish under the bridge and we sent the ministers for a quick sight seeing trip up to the natural bridge. I headed back to town to fulfill my fatherly duties and attend the coaches T-Ball meeting to pickup the equipment and the team roster for the 2008 Season. We should have a fun team full of friends and cousins who will surely bring plenty of smiles and laughs to all of us as they swarm after the ball.

Blizzards, Bighorn and Baetis!

The 2008 guide season is off to a furious pace and has left me with little time to sit and publish any journal entries for the past two weeks. It all got underway with a trip to the Bighorn where we had some very good fishing. The first two days of the trip were spent managing crowds and finding hot spots to fish on the ten mile float from 3 to B. I was paired with two great guys, one who had lots of experience and another who was pretty much a neophyte. Frank was a very nice guy who loved the sport of fly fishing and we turned his Buddie into a fly addict as well. At the time of this writing many of the clients are turning into one so I am having a senior moment, which shouldn't be happening to a man of 36, and I can't remember his name. Either way great progress was made on the casting front and the ability to detect a strike on an indicator. The fish were still very keyed in on midges and they were starting to respond to baetis nymphs fished on the bottom. Sow bugs and scuds were a major disappointment as the fish were not interested in them whatsoever, and that is strange on the Bighorn. Lots of fish were brought to net and the first two days were very successful. Day three brought a delima of trying to figure out where all the people were going to be. The Montana State board of Trout Unlimited had 27 guys on the river and there was also another internet message board of 10 guys on the river as well. You can also add in a group of 10 current and retired Vail Associates ski patrol, lift maintenance and higher ups that were on their annual Bighorn festival outing as well. These three groups in and of themselves made for a good number of boats on the water. I picked up Frank and his buddy and I made the decision to fish the upper three, in hopes of the crowds either floating the whole 13 miles or just fishing the lower 10. My plan came together great and we had a fun day fishing a different section of the river. The highlight of the last day was setting up in the Drum hole and seeing the first solid baetis hatch of the year on the Bighorn. The fish were on the adults strong and we managed to hook and land a decent number of fish on dries, which was a wonderful change from staring at a strike indicator for the first two days.

Upon arriving home I we were greeted with a nice winter storm that left us cold and wet. A couple days of getting gear back in shape and cleaning up from the Bighorn left me ready to set out on the next round of trips. The Orvis Rendezvous came to town and after collecting my free swag for sitting through a morning presentation about the Orvis company and their new Helios rod I set out with the boys from Breckenridge outfitters to float the Lower Madison. The river was dirty when we arrived and the skies were cold and over cast. We managed to turn up a half dozen nice fish on a black bugger trailed with a pink worm and as we hit the boat ramp to take out the snow flakes began to fly. It was only the start of three more days of cold wet weather on the rivers.

On Thursday the I awoke to horrible weather with temps in the mid 20's and 4 inches of new snow in the boat. I made the harrowing drive over the Bozeman Pass to meet my sports for the next two days. They were both new to the art of fly fishing and there was no way in hell that I was going to put them in a drift boat in 30 degree weather and a blizzard. After introductions and a quick discussion on the day ahead we called up Depuy's and got two rods so that we could use the warming huts to stay out of the weather. Rookies on the spring creeks is quite a challenge but it was much better than the alternative of sitting in the boat. Marty was fire fighter from a suburb of Chicago and his father in law Dick was a business man in the same area. They both wanted to give fly fishing a try and we spent most of the day working out the kinks of casting and how to control the line. They both made good strides and we had a great time trying to catch rising fish in Depuy's, which is rather difficult when 20 feet is a good cast. We did manage to land some fish and they both really enjoyed the experience and learned a lot about how to use a fly rod.

Day Two brought more weather in and the day started with a trip to the car wash to spray out the left over snow and make room for more snow later in the day. We headed up the Yellowstone to the Grey Owl put in and the weather was similar to the day before, we had silver dollar size snow flakes falling but the air temp was a bit warmer and the wind was calm. The day started out with Rubberlegs and PT nymphs trailed under indicators. We fished the middle of the river and had a great time hooking whitefish and getting used to fighting fish. The sun broke out briefly as we hit the Paradise campground so we took a break and ate some lunch. We did managed to land a couple of trout before lunch along with a couple dozen whitefish. After lunch the baetis starting to pop and I tied on dry flies with small bead droppers. We pushed off from shore and we caught a few nice fish as we floated down the river. Dick broke off his flies at the irrigation pump and I dropped anchor to retie some more bugs on his rod. The fish were rising fast a furious in the small slot but the anchor had slipped and we were out of either of their casting ranges. I picked up the rod and gave them a lesson on how to make a reach cast. It took a good 40 foot cast to get to the fish and it took two cast to bring a small rainbow to the boat. I'm not big on bragging about my skills but both of their jaws were wide open and they were amazed with how easy I made it look. I gave the rod back to Dick and left them in astonishment over the skills of their guide. We pulled anchor and headed for the deep run above the YVR and the fish were going completely ape over baetis adults. The wind was howling as it pushed in a new front and casting was a bit difficult to say the least. After spending a half hour watching them struggle I decided to head down river to the hole across from the YVR where the wind would be more of a help than a hindrance. As I pushed through the fast water to the spot I knew they would be rising in the skies opened up with some of the largest snow flakes I have ever seen, and they were full of water. We hit the spot and the fish were going nuts. Dick had knee replacement surgery earlier in the year so I positioned the boat so he did not need to get out. Marty headed up stream of the boat and immediately started hooking one fish after another. Dick's first cast landed a nice cutthroat and they were both really excited to see a native fish from the river. The snow continued to fall for a half hour and the fish never let up until the sun popped out and melted the newly fallen snow. It was a glorious half hour and one I will not forget for a long time. We finished up the day with picking off a few more fish that were feeding on left over baetis and it was a very memorable trip for them both.

Saturday brought another set of clients from Southern California. I had set them up with my good friend Jamie for a float on Friday and they had floated the lower part of the Yellowstone and caught some nice fish on nymphs. They also got the privilege of freezing their tails off in the snow storm and when I arrived at the Murray to pick them up they still looked cold from the previous days float trip. They had a good time with Jamie and an even better story to tell me about the trip with him. Bill takes a bit of convincing to feel comfortable with some aspects of fishing and he was a bit skeptical of the guides he was setup for his trip to Montana. They were sitting in the Murray Bar on the night they had arrived in town and they met a woman at the bar. They were telling her that they were scheduled to go on a trip with some guides they did not know and that they were uncertain of the trip. The woman at the bar told them her husband was a guide and that if things didn't work out for them that her husband would do a great job for them. She ask them who they were supposed to fish with and they told her that the guides name was Jamie Benedickt. She got a big grin on her face and told them that this was her husband and the card she was pulling from her pocket book was his. They had a lot to talk about since Tina is a local wine rep for one of the distributors in town and Bill and Ramsay are both in the wine industry back in California. She also gave them some insider information to razz Jamie about and when they got in the boat with him they played with him for a few hours before letting him know they had drinks with his wife in the bar. Jamie was glad he did not make an ass out of himself and there day was fun despite the weather.

I picked them up at the Murray and we were off to Depuy's. Bill and Ramsay have both fished in a lot of places and they were very excited to get to challenge their skills on the famous waters of Depuy's Spring Creek. We started out at the lower hut and both of them hooked fish on nymphs right out of the gate. I knew they wanted to try their hand at some dry fly fishing and there were a good number of fish feeding on midges early on. We reeled up and headed for the pod of rising fish that had been above the pond a few days ago and when we got there the fish were feeding veraciously on the surface. We spent the next couple of hours fishing to rising fish and watching them sniff the fly and refuse it. Both of them were astonished by the selective fish and how tough they could be to catch. We pretty much worked them over for a few hours and it was time to head for the hut for a quick bite to eat. I pulled out the grill and quickly cooked up a nice flank steak that I had marinated in a special seasoning blend. They fished for a few minutes while I prepared the meal that fit nicely with a fine bottle of Etude Pinot. Since they were both wine experts I decided to dazzle them with a nice lunch and bottle of wine. It payed off when they both mentioned never having this good of a meal on a fishing trip. We finished up the feast and headed for the upper end of the creek in search of more rising fish. Not much was going on with the bright sunshine so I headed them to the slough where fish actively cruise and sip left over meals. It is a fun spot to fish since you can watch the fish move and try and position a cast in front of their path. Ramsay missed a nice rainbow and we watched a rather large brown trout makes his path around the slough. I told Ramsay that that was the fish I wanted to see him catch and low a behold ten minutes later he placed a perfect cast in front of the monster and the fish swam lazily towards the fly. I was pretty certain the fish was going to turn off the fly but he headed straight for it and Ramsay and I got to witness one of the most amazing rises I have seen in a long time. The fish was coming straight at us and he poked his head up out of the water and the whites of his mouth looked like a great white shark as he sipped in our midge offering. Ramsay made a nice calm hook set and the fish took off like a bat out of hell in the shallow water. The run was a bit much for the 6X tippet and the fly came back at us almost as quickly as the fish has eaten it. Even though we did not land the fish it was an amazing fish and I am sure Ramsay had a hard time falling asleep to the image of the fish's mouth open wide and sucking in his dry fly. I know I did. We finished off the day and I received a very nice email from Bill thanking me for a wonderful trip. I hope our July trip is just as successful and I look forward to sharing more of Montana with Bill and his guest.

Sunday left me a day to spend with family and a chance to relax from the week that was behind me. Reece and I hit the Hot Springs for a swim and spent the afternoon napping in front of the Television. It was a very relaxing day before setting back out on the water on Monday.

Monday was going to be an easy day with just one angler and a couple of dogs in the boat. Brian works for a company that supplies my wife's company with product and he wanted to get out and do a float. The weather forecast was promising warm weather, with temps in the low 70's and light winds. I picked him up at the Holiday Inn and we headed for the Yellowstone. When we got to Livingston the winds were not so light and I held my breath hoping it was just the gap wind that Livingston is famous for. I called in my shuttle to Toots and we headed for Pine Creek. When we arrived at Pine creek the wind was calm and the sun was warm and high in the sky. I was hoping the clouds would roll in for some baetis activity but it was not looking promising. There were only two other vehicles with trailers in the lot so I knew we would have much of the float to ourselves. Dave Mckee was already in the water ahead of us and the other group was in a raft. As I got the rods ready another vehicle pulled up and Dave and James Warren jumped out the vehicle. We chatted for a moment and I put the boat in the water. We started out nymphing with a Rubberleg and Blue Copper John. The fish were eating the copper john well and by 11 I made a stop to let the dogs out and to wade fish a small side channel. I looked closely at the rip rap on the other bank and noticed the first caddis of the season. It got my juices flowing knowing that we were on the verge of the annual mothers day caddis hatch in the days to come.

We caught several nice fish from the side channel and headed back for the boat. We were doing well with the copper john so I decided to leave the flies as is for the time being. As we floated along the next bank I started to see a few more caddis and we even had a few land in the boat. I pulled in at the next shelf and dropped anchor for Brian to make a few drifts through the deep drop. After missing one fish I decided to take a gamble and try fishing a caddis pupae just to see if the fish were looking for caddis at all yet. I switched out the rubber legs for a olive zonker and tied on a tan sparkle pupae. We pulled up anchor and stuck two fish back to back on the caddis pupae across from Charlie's old house that fell into the river during the 96 floods. I guess that my question had been answered and the fish were looking for the pupae and larvae already. The caddis continued to bounce around in small numbers and I started to have thoughts of grandeur about the hatch getting started. We fished down to the area where the river broke into the spring creeks and we had lunch in the deep slot above the fancy rip rap bank. There were few fish breaking the surface and it looked like they were eating emerging caddis. After lunch I rigged up my five weight with a royal stimulator and a tan pupae off the back. Brian managed to land a nice bow on the pupae and I told him we were going to dry fly or die for a little bit. The pupae took a few more fish but it was not really hot and heavy so I decided to switch to a larvae imitation instead. Bingo the fish responded right away and we spent the rest of the day picking off fish from heavy rip rap banks and deep shelves the rest of the float. The wind picked up about the time we hit Carters and there were few caddis still out and about. My thoughts of maybe catching the hatch right as it starts was dashed for the day but the fish were all over a mangy caddis and a king prince. We caught fish all the way to the 9th street take out and the day was finished up with a moose cow and her calf on the bank just above the take out, right in the middle of town. It was a wonderful day and we will have to see what happens with the hatch. Today may be a great day but I need to get ready for tomorrow's trip and take care of some errands and bill paying before I hit the river again.

The forecast is calling for cold weather to move back in tonight so we may have delay in the hatch until it warms up again. I did not expect to see much of a hatch this year on the Yellowstone with all the low elevation snow but the cool weather may give us a break and let us fish a day or two before the river gets dirty and blows the hatch out. Only time will tell.

Leaving the Real World Behind

Round two of 5 Bighorn trips for this spring begins today. The bags are packed and I will be dropping Reece off at school and heading East. A couple of quick stops in Livingston to finalize next weeks guide trips and to pick up a new pair of bootfoot waders. Then it's on to the middle of the Crow Reservation and a date with a group from San Diego for three days of netting fish. The trips to the Bighorn are usually a good time but life takes a turn from reality with a lack of contact with the outside world. The isolation from Television, the Internet and even newspapers is a great relaxation but I would have no idea if George Bush got an itch and decided to invade another oil producing country to help line his buddies pockets with even higher fuel prices for American consumers.

With that being said my fuel cost for getting to the river and back will run around $200 which takes a bite out of buying new clothes for the boy or taking the family out for a nice weekend getaway. My tax rebate won't be going back into the economy as our trusty government officials hope it will. No new TV or electronic purchases, no new cars, no new toys. My rebate will be going to household bills and into the pockets of excessive profits for Exxon, Cononco and BP.

Enough with the tirade, for those few readers who visit the site I hope that you have a great end of the week and I will post a full report of the good times and the mishaps that take place on the Bighorn for the next few days. I am sure there will be more memories like last years alteration of the table in our cabin so that I could fit my fly tying vise on it. Until then good luck fishing and have a great weekend.

The Big Swing!

Tax day had me feeling a bit depressed since I had to send most of my savings to the feds and the state, so after putting in a hour with my buddy spraying doors we decided to get out and enjoy the warm weather. With temps in the mid to high 70's we hitched up the Jet boat and headed for the Missouri in search of carp and a possible pike bite that has been rumored around town. As we pulled into Manhattan for a few road soda's, slice of pizza and a few snacks the wind almost blew us off the highway. The winds were steady at 20 to 25 but we left Manhattan with optimistic thoughts of some shelter in the canyon stretch of the Upper Missouri. The wind continued to pick up as we headed West and when we got to the turn off to head for the Mo the air quality had dropped to a very poor rating from the fallow fields that were being swept to Great Falls by the wind. I was really glad that I didn't live in Townsend because from the turn off it looked like you needed a respirator to be outside from all the dust in the air.

We bumped up the road to the put in and when we got there the canyon was providing a little bit of protection from the horrific wind. We decided that since we bounced the boat down the 6 miles of wash board road that we would go ahead and put the boat in the water. The water was slightly off color but the waves were not bad and we shoved off in search of some fish. We made it up the river about a mile and we decided to take a quick ride up the river to check on a feeder stream that dumps into the river. We went past the creek and pulled to shore to let the dogs take a run and burn off some of their energy.

The wind was still gusting and there were some sheltered bends along the river where we decided to pull in a run some lures. Our real search was for a pike so we pulled out the bait casters and spin rods rigged with # 4 bucktail spinners. We fished for a few minutes but the wind made it tough to keep the boat in position. We decided this was not our day so we fired up the E-Tech and went for another boat ride. We wanted to see how far up the river we could go and after bucking the head wind for a half hour we arrived at a fishing access site midway through this section of river. We were excited to make it all the way to the access and it will definitely come in handy this fall for some duck hunting and a bit of out of the way pheasant hunting as well.

The river was pretty easy to run and we arrived back at the truck in about 20 minutes. We fished near the boat ramp for about 20 minutes and I managed to snag one carp square in the back just above the tail. It was a lot of carp and I really glad when the hook came out and the large lure did not hit me in the head. We called it a day and headed back to town with some good allergy problems and a nice sunburn from taking off my hat all day.

After two days of weather in the 70's we awoke to snow this morning and temps in the low 30's. I just returned home from picking up supplies for my three days of guiding on the Bighorn and the temp on my truck was a balmy 31 degrees. About 5 inches of heavy wet snow have fallen already and they are calling for more of the same this evening and into tomorrow. I hope it quits snowing before I leave for the Bighorn tomorrow morning and that it warms up a bit for the guys I will be guiding from San Diego through the rest of the week. You have to love spring time in the Rockies.

Risk, Reward, not on the Jeff.

Each year I get a wild hair to float the Jefferson and get away from the rest of the angling world. Usually it becomes a nice scenic float with a fish or two coming to the boat. My good friend Peter, who grew up in the Jefferson Valley was eager to hit his home water so we planned to pick his brother up and hit the river. I arrived to pick Peter up and we had a couple of inches of new snow in town. We loaded up the dogs and the gear and made the 60 mile trek to Whitehall to pick up Wade. When we arrived at the ranch his parents were on their way to Sunday's Church service. Peter and I took a few pop shots at the gophers in the pasture and picked Wade up at the house. We headed up river to the Headwaters of the Jefferson and dropped Wade's truck at the take out. The weather was warming nicely and when we put the boat in at Twin Bridges the day looked very promising.

Wade has only fly fished a couple of times and we spent the first ten minutes getting him back in the groove. The Beaverhead was pretty dirty with about a foot of visibility so we tied on black buggers and a worm for Wade while Peter and I took turns fishing streamers and rowing. When we got to the confluence with the Bighole we saw crystal clear water and kicked ourselves for not putting in on the Bighole rather than the Beaverhead. To this point we had not even had a bump or a legitimate take on the nymphs and thoughts of a typical Jefferson trip started to eat at the eagerness of having that rare day of good fishing on the river. We made a couple of stops so the dogs could run around and we could stretch our legs. Peter finally had a nice bow swirl at the streamer and we both got reinvigorated by the sight of the swirl. Peter gave up the front of the boat and I set out with the Kystal Bugger hoping to actually hook and land a fish. My first cast to the bank came tight quickly and a small brown was on for about a nano second. We both thought, ok maybe it was just taking the fish some time to get on the feed. Optimism is a great thing but it only gets you so far. I fished for another half hour and finally hooked a solid fish that lept from the water and spit the hook.

Peter and I had our fill of casting heavily weighted flies and decided to put on a dry fly just for fun. We weren't catching them on streamers so we figured it would not make any difference in our success to fish a dry and have some fun. Wade religiously fished his nymphs and we were both impressed with his go for it attitude. I tied on a Fat Freddy Skwala dry and proceeded to see how tight I could get it to the bank. Peter jumped back into the front of the boat and began his assault on the shoreline. We started to joke about opening a lodge on the Jefferson and how it was such a reliable fishery. We also said we could start an online "War of the World's" type rumor about the Skwala hatch on the Jefferson. Just as the conversation got more in depth a nice brown trout came to the surface and sucked in the Skwala dry fly that we had only tied on for fun. I guess that the Skwala god's were getting back at us for making fun of the hatch that doesn't really exist on the Jefferson. It was a great laugh and it put a topper on a slow day of fishing.

We hit the ramp and headed back down the valley with a quick stop at Peter's folks new house. The amount of wildlife that uses the Jefferson Valley is amazing and we saw everything from Deer, Elk, Turkey, Sand hill Cranes, Pelicans and lots of ducks and geese. With Turkey season just getting started this weekend I may have to break out the shotgun and to the river for some gobbler action, it surely would be more productive than fishing.

Winter's still got a grip

As the Jayhawks were making their comeback against Memphis last night the erie orange glow came over Bozeman as another snow squawl moved into town. The flakes were wet and coming down at a moderate pace, slightly covering the grass and making the streets wet. As I turned out the lights and shut off the boob tube the flakes were still falling but there was not much accumulation on grass in the yard and it had been snowing for a couple of hours. However when I woke up this morning we were greeted with about 7 inches of heavy wet snow. I had planned to take my boat back out to the barn at my folks house but I got caught up running around town and never made it out to the house. I guess that is why it probably snowed so much and now I will have to let it sit in the sun and turn to water.

The good news is that we are continuing to get great moisture and after checking the Bridger Bowl snow report this morning they have had another 11 inches of snow from this storm, which is on top of the 20 inches they recieved on Saturday night. For the year they have had 392 inches of cold smoke and have settled base depth of 119 inches. They also have extended the season by one week and I am sure that they could remain open through April with the snow they have right now, but the Forest Circus only permits them so many days and then they have to sut down operations. It has been a good snow year and I am looking forward to a great summer of fishing and hopefully I don't have to use my swift water rescue skills to often while I am out on the rivers this summer.

Only in these United States

Bozeman was treated to another great "American" event with the Monster Nationals taking over the Brick Breeden Field house for two nights of shows. Once my 5 year old son Reece saw the commercial on TV I knew I was obligated to take him to the show. Fortunately our friends Cora and Len had free tickets from Cora's advertising job with the local TV network so I could free up some extra cash for a few over priced show souvenirs.

We arrived just as the show got started and thank god I took the advice of some friends and purchased some ear plugs prior to hitting the field house. The noise of these beastly trucks is amazing especially when you couple it with being held inside of an arena that amplifies the sound. The trucks were actually pretty amazing and the power and speed at which they travel was something to see. The evenings highlights for Reece were when one of the trucks attempted to do a donut, like we used to do in the High School parking lot and his tires got a bit to much grip sending him onto his roof. They quickly pulled the truck back over onto it's wheels with the lift and readied the truck for the next event. The next event was racing around the oval track and jumping the piles of cars. The same truck made his first run around the oval and on the second set of cars he went high in the air and landed hard, breaking off his front tire and nose diving into the stadium dirt. The crowd cheered with great enthusiasm and I am sure the owner of the truck wants to never return to Bozeman after all the cost he ensued from the his disastrous evening in the field house.

The evening finished up with a visit from megasaurus the fire breathing, car eating dinosaur. The lights went black in the "Brick" and the three story monster entered the arena. The kids loved the fire and flames but the dino was really a let down when he started to chew the car in half. I am also pretty sure the facility managers were not real excited about all the glass, metal and car parts being mixed in with the high dollar rodeo dirt that was laid on the field house floor for the event. The show ended with a stop at the souvenir stand and parting with 30 dollars for a couple of flags, a hat and a whiz bang boomerang. I can honestly say that the show was a pretty good time and it will be a couple weeks before Reece talks about anything else.

The Weekly Fly (Bob Jacklin's Giant Salmonfly)

Hook: Tiemco #200r Size 4 and 6
Thread: Flo. Orange 210 Denier
Tail: None
Egg Sack: Black Elk or Deer Hair
Body: Salmon Fly Orange Dubbing over Dyed Black Elk Hair
Ribbing: Two Brown Saddle Hackles
Wing: Long Blond Elk Hair
Legs: Black Rubber Legs, Med
Head and Collar: Bullet Head Dyed Brown Deer Body Hair

I am very honored to know Bob and I have always enjoyed our conversations both in his shop and when he would stop by to say hello when I owned my shop. Bob's love for the sport and his compasion for sharing is second to none. Be sure and bookmark the weekly fly and check out all the great tiers who will be sharing patterns and stories.

Spring Break on the Bighorn

Spring Break used be a week long break from attending school and plans for trips to Mexico, South Padre or Florida were on the plate. Now that most of my friends are past the age of seeking college party weeks I am settling in to more family oriented breaks. My son is not in school yet so I did not have to plan a week of keeping him entertained while he takes a break from school. My longtime friend, Mikey, is a 7th grade science teacher and he gets a week off in the spring. We planned our third spring break trip to the Bighorn and we all had a great time. I can honestly say that I have been friends with Mikey longer than anyone else on the planet, we were both in our mother's stomachs while our parents were on vacation in Mexico in 1971. Since that time we have been on many great adventures and shared both good times and bad since that trip to Mexico.

My dad and I left Bozeman on Monday morning to meet up with Mike's father Chris who now lives in Lewistown Montana. Rob who is from Boulder and Skip who lives in San Diego also were coming to the gathering since they were Chris's partners in crime while attending the University of Colorado back in the 60's. Skip is an aging hippy and retired architect. Rob basically has always just been "Screwing Around", but has been involved in a backpack manufacturing business as well as Colorado real estate. My dad and I pulled into Cottonwood Camp at around 4 pm and found a note on the counter in the Brown Palace. The boys were out fishing and they left us instructions for the two legs of lamb that were in the fridge. The lamb was in the oven at 325 and we unpacked our bags and let Trico run after a few pheasant scents in the nearby field.

The boys finally made it back to the camp, bundled in all their warm gear and ready for hot showers and a warm up from the 30 degree weather and 10 mph winds that blew most of the afternoon. They braved the elements because the dry fly fishing kicked into gear just as the sun was getting low. Mikey's dog Daisy had a big day lurking the banks feeding on goose droppings and watching the guys fish. I think her big first day made her a bit ill and as you can see in the following photo she spent the next day in this uncomfortable position.

Day two for the group got off to a slow start due to the cool weather and a few too many cocktails mixed with some recalling of the past that went well into the night. Mikey, my dad and I jumped into my boat while Chris, Rob and Skip jumped into Chris's boat. We set off from the 3 mile access at around 11 am and made our first stop at the 10 dollar hole. Chris and the Boulder wrecking crew stopped above the hole to check on the fast water that had been productive in the fall during their duck hunting trip. I mentioned that the fish like the fast riffles in the fall and the deep slow water in the spring. Mikey and I both had fish on our first few cast and my dad finally got his rod rigged and jumped in between us. I caught a few fish and then left my dad to have the upper end of the hole where I was getting fish pretty regularly on a zebra midge and a sow bug. Mikey was killing them in the slow drop off at the bottom end of the hole and by the time we each had 4 or 5 fish to the net the other boat pulled in. Chris was eager to fish his new found fly in the slow deep water below the main bucket that holds the majority of the fish. Chris has gotten into fishing 1/64 ounce jig heads with two colors of Marabou lashed to the hook. It took about three cast for the jig fly to entice a nice rainbow and he continued to hook fish in quick order for the next hour or so. The jig fly was an interesting concept and it produced fish from water that I have always looked past because of the lack of current and the uneasy approach to fishing it. I have done well fishing dries in the same area but that is the only time I have spent anytime fishing the large deep pool.

We moved on down the river and had good fishing in the Vines during the afternoon and early evening. The "Wrecking Crew" stopped on the Greycliff shelf and Skip and Rob did well nymphing with the usual suspects. Chris continued to fish his jig in the deep run below the main hole and it proved to be another productive spot for the Jig fly. Trico found the goose droppings enticing just as Daisy had the day before and I spent a good bit of my day chasing her away from her el natural feast. After spending a hour or so catching fish from the Vines we moved on down the river and found an open spot across from Mike's house. It took one cast to find a fish in the run and after about 20 minutes the crew arrived to see how we had done. We told them of our exploits in the Vines and Chris made a B-line from the boat to the slow deep water below the main run. The five of us took turns rotating through the hole and Chris pounded on the fish in the deep slow water with his jig.

At about 6:30 we made a run for the take out and another great meal. Mikey brought up some pheasants from his fall hunting and threw on a back strap from the cow elk he shot from his porch while using the grill on his deck as a shooting bench. Mikey said the only regret he had about harvesting his elk was that he forgot to light the grill before he squeezed the trigger. It was quite a feast and after dinner we all had a great laugh while Chris struggled to make a few more jig flies for the next day of fishing.

Day three was another cool day and we set out for another float late in the morning. We switched up the boats a bit but we spent most of the day fishing the same holes as a group. The highlight of the day was on our first stop across from the club. The fishing was fantastic and we left the old guys in the hole. Mikey and I took the dogs for a walk up the bank looking to flush a few birds from their hiding spots deep in the Russian Olives and Buffalo brush. As we made our way over to the old channel that hasn't seen flowing water in many years the dogs jumped up a group of Wigeons, Teal and Gadwalls that were resting in some standing water. Mikey and I quickly hid in the brush and called the dogs over to see if the birds would try and return to the luxury of the puddle off the main river channel. We sat and watched the ducks make fly by's over the puddle and we really wished we had a couple of decoy's to help make them feel like the puddle was a safe place to return. We watched and listened to the various calls and had a wonderful time on our simulated duck hunt. After 45 minutes of watching we headed back to the boats and found out that Mike's dad had also headed over to the channel and enjoyed the show as we had.

The rest of the day was spent stopping at spots and catching fish at all of them. I gave the jig a try and hooked a fish after 5 minutes of plying the depths with Chris. It was definitely an effective way to fish the slow water but the air and water temp was too cold to make it any fun. My fingers froze after a few minutes and I told Chris I would try it when it was warmer outside. One of the last stops we made that day was also very memorable as I left Rob and my dad at Turkey Point while I headed for the back channel to give Granamon's shelf a try. It took me about a half hour to land 20 fish and I waded back to the boat to fetch Rob, who had spent most of the first three days screwing around with his setup or walking the bank aimlessly. Rob is well know for just screwing around and accomplishing nothing. During college he used to leave Boulder and drive all the way to Moab Utah to screw around in the desert by himself for the weekend. I did not have enough daylight to allow Rob to rig his rod and I marched him and my dad across the channel and handed him my rod, that was already rigged with the appropriate flies and the correct amount of lead. He stuck a nice brown on his first cast and quickly brought it to the net. After landing a couple more browns and a rainbow he struck fast and the fish he fooled headed upstream fast. He did a great job turning it around and the fish took off downstream. My first assumption was that he had ass hooked the fish and we started off downstream to try and land the fish. My dad and Rob walked down the shallow shore line and I busted through the brush to get up on the bank to see what Rob had hooked. After running down the bank 30 or 40 yards I spotted a beastly Rainbow that was hooked square in the corner of the mouth. Rob was not making much progress so I told him I was going to get in below the fish and that it would probably run back towards him when I got in the water. I made it about 10 feet off the bank and the fish did exactly as I had planned. The only problem was that Rob was ready for the move the fish made and he came unbuttoned from the fly. I got a very good look at the fish and I can conservatively say he hooked into a beast that was close to two feet long. I have seen a good number of fish over 24 inches in the Horn and this fish was one of those I have fondled in the past. It made for a great end to the day and we all headed back for our last meal together and to recall more stories from years past.

The dogs were worn out from the cold water, goose droppings and running around while we fished. We feed on Elk Burgers and played some cards before hitting the sack. My dad and I were leaving the next day and the rest of the group was fishing for one more day. They got another late start and my dad and I pulled out of town around noon. When we hit Hardin the snow started flying and by Billings there were several inches of new snow on the ground. My dad and I were glad we weren't on the river and we kept the crew in the back of our minds as we battled heavy winds that ate a half tank of gas on the way back to Bozeman.

It was another great trip and we are looking forward to some hunting and more good times this fall!

Happy Easter!

Freestone Swap Flies

Many of the fly fishing message boards have fly tying sections and I have always wondered wether it was worth participating in a swap of flies with other members of the forums. I finally got off my butt and decided to give it a try. The Rocky Mountain Fly board started a Freestone Swap at the start of the new year. Each tier was to provide two of their favorite fly patterns for each tier involved in the swap. I quickly churned out 28 flies for the swap and left them on the side of my tying bench for the next two months. Luckily I remebered the flies just before the deadline and sent them along to the swap leader. He distributed the flies and returned the flies from all the tiers. I was impressed with the quality and the wide variety of patterns that came back to me in the mail. I had a great time participating and I am sure I will have to do this again in the near future. Here is a taste of what came from the Rocky Mountain Fly Forum's 2008 Freestone Fly Swap. Enjoy!!!!

Outdoor Roundup a bust this week

As I opened up the Bozeman Daily Comical this week to see the new featured outdoor writer it was obvious that this week would continue on the downward spiral that the first half of the week has been. I am not sure if it was Dave's decision to slow down on the articles for the paper or the papers decision but either way I was not as excited to look at the outdoors section of the paper knowing that Dave was not going to be writing and that the dreaded Parker would have the headline. As I expected Parker wrote and article complaining about how people wear their hats and that his reasons for wearing a hat were the only one that mattered. I don't know how much more time I will spend reading the Comical's outdoor section if the rants and prejudices of Parker's continue to grace the headlines.

After reading through the Comical I set out to check on other papers from around the area. The only paper that had a fishing article was the Billings Gazette and the Denver Post. The Gazette article was about the ongoing controversy between Montana and Wyoming over water in Yellowtail Reservoir. The fight has been on because Montana wants in stream flows for the valuable fishery on the Bighorn River and Wyoming wants the water left in the lake so that the boat ramp at the upper end of the lake can be used. The only problem with Wyoming's claim is that even when the lake is at full pool there is still no one there to use the ramps, except for a few folks from Montana. At least the tone of the article was about the controversy probably being solved for the time being by mother nature who has put copious amounts of water in the mountains that will make it's way to the lake this year and keep both sides happy.

The Denver Post article was about a broken pipe at Spinney Mountain Reservoir and how it was going to affect the spawning of Rainbows and Cutthroats in the Dream Stream this year. A broken pipe that takes water to the city of Aurora is preventing them from releasing water from the reservoir and the flow will be low, even with a lot of snow pack in the mountains. A couple of anglers were quoted and they were disappointed they would have fewer spawners to harass with the lower flows. One guy was even quoted as saying he was disappointed he might not get to relive his epic day last year when he caught 7 trout over ten pounds, most of which were probably spawners from Elevenmile Reservoir. It's too bad that the pipe isn't broken every year so that these guys leave the spawners alone. I really feel for poor Landon Mayer, he will have to find another place to harass spawners for his hero shot's on next years magazine covers.

Speaking of Landon, I was thumbing through the newest issue of Fly Fisherman and he was on the cover holding a huge cutthroat from the Dream Stream. I looked at the inside cover to see the info on the shot and to make sure it was the Dream Stream. I did find the caption interesting due to the fact that the photo was taken of Landon and he also took credit for taking the picture as well. I am not sure how one accomplishes this feat, but I guess you could set up the camera on a tripod, guess on the focus and framing of the shot and then snap the photo with a remote for the shutter. I don't get this guy and his need to become famous.

Thursday Outdoor Roundup

Bozeman Daily Comical: Dave Mckee's new adventure.

This weeks article by our own beloved Dave Mckee points out many of the different subjects he has covered over his ten year run of writing outdoor articles for the paper. Dave has been a great part of the paper and his articles always bring a dose of humor to all to often serious subjects. He is moving forward and will only be writing a fly of the week article to make way for another writers article in the outdoor section of the paper. I personally am not looking forward to hearing the rants and bitterness that Parker Heinlins writing will bring back to the paper. Mr. Heinlins attitude towards others and his need to degrade and parade pessimistic view points will not have me looking forward to reading the outdoor section of the paper each week. We will miss Dave and his positive fun attitude to all things outdoors.

Billings Gazette: Saturday fly-fishing expo targets youngsters

http://billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/03/06/features/outdoors/48-flyfishing.txt

This weekend the Billings chapter of TU and the FFF will be hosting their long awaited fly fishing expo. The weekend is highlighted by plenty of kids activities along with a visit from Dave Whitlock. The kids will have the opportunity to attend a free fly tying lesson and compete in a fly tying competition at the end of the session that will award them with gear for fly fishing and fly tying.

Missoulian: Do as I say, not as I once did: Get a fishing license

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/03/06/outdoors/out10.txt

This week the Missoulian actually had a hunting and fishing article that did not include Ice fishing locations. Greg wrote a nice article reminding everyone that the new license year is upon us and he relates his embarrassment over getting a ticket years ago because he forgot about the new license year. Montana has a strange system for licensing and it catches plenty of anglers off guard each year. March 1st is the license renewal month and many people just forget about it since it is a strange time of year to renew. Don't forget to stop and get a license if you are heading out on Montana waters in the next few weeks.

Denver Post: Rainbows to color South Platte soon

http://www.denverpost.com/huntfish/ci_8415729

Charlie Meyers column this week speaks of the high cost of gas and telling your child they will have to go to community college rather than Princeton because he is going to use their college fund to pay for the gas to get to his favorite fishing haunts. He then tells about fishing the South Platte above Chatfield Reservoir just outside of Denver. The fishery is near town and maybe there will end up being enough money left in the college fund to send his child to the big name school of their choice. The tone of the article is probably affecting every ones plans and traveling the distances that they once did to fish may change with fishing closer to home because of the high price of fuel and the absurd profits that Exxon and BP are making from stealing from all of us.

The Weekly Fly.

About a month ago I was approached by fellow guide Mike Nelson and his friend about helping them out with a new website they were launching. The website has been up a running for about a month now and it features a new fly tyer or fly pattern each week. I was privileged to help out with some flies for the site. There are some great tiers scheduled to be aired on the site such as Kelly Galloup, Slyvester Nemes, Dave McKee, Dave Bloom, Doug Mcknight and many others. Check it out and bookmark the site for a new pattern each Monday. The address is www.theweeklyfly.com.

My first pattern is a fly that I have modified and dressed up a bit. The original fly comes from Brad Downey, who guides on the Bighorn River and he has come up with many great patterns that kill em on Tailwater and Spring Creek fisheries. The Downey Dun is a great bug and it is simple to tie. The materials for the pattern are cheap and make for a very good floating bug. Give it a try. I will take some photos and post it here so that you can see a couple of different views of this wonderful bug.

Thursday Outdoor Roundup

Bozeman Daily Comical: Nez Perce want to expand hunt!

The Nez Perce trib wants to expand it's hunting of Bison around the borders of Yellowstone National Park. This is being met with plenty of resistance from government agencies and from conservation groups who don't like the hunt in the first place. The debate continues and no one is every going to be satisfied with any plans regarding the bison.

http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2008/02/28/news/20bison.txt

On another note in the Section, I will be tying Tailwater Flies at Fins and Feathers flyshop this Saturday from 10 am until noon. The flies I will be tying are a highlight of the bugs I use on the Bighorn during my spring and fall guide trips. The tying demo will focus on the Bighorn and when and how to best match the hatch activity in the spring and fall. The main focus will be on the Bighorn but most of the patterns will relate to fishing other tailwater fisheries throughout the area as well. Come join in the fun, it's free and open to everyone.

Ravali Republic: The ties that Bind!

http://www.ravallirepublic.com/articles/2008/02/28/outdoors/0090outdoors.txt

Once again the Missoulian had little in the way of hunting and fishing articles. Another article about ice fishing and that was about it, so I checked out the Hamilton Paper and they had a wonderful article about guys getting together at the Local brewery and tying flies every Wednesday night. The owner of the brewery welcomes the tiers and they have helped turn slow Wednesday night business into a buseling night at the brewery. There are some fine tiers in the Bitteroot Valley and one my favorite personalities that I have met in the fly fishing world is interviewed in the article. John and Elna Foust are perhaps the best people that I have gotten to spend some time with and I hope to one day get invited over to their home again.

Billings Gazette:Blue Haven: Paradise Valley stream reels in the trout anglers

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/02/28/news/state/18-bluehaven.txt

Wow this is actually the headline article on the Gazette's Website today. The article details some of the perils and fortunes of owning the famed Armstrong Spring Creek. The article starts off with some history of the ranch and how the fishing has become another source of income to keep the family traditions alive. They herald the number of people who pay big money to fish the creek every year, and some just to hold a spot for the following year. Then they talk about the perils that go along with owning the creek, especially the public outcry after the heavy floods of 1996 and 1997. It is an interesting read about the creeks.

Denver Post: Brutal winter puts Antero fish in peril

http://www.denverpost.com/huntfish/ci_8347365

Once again problems are occuring at one of Colorado's most popular trout lakes. Antero Reservoir in South Park has gone through many issues over the years with drought and dewatering to the harsh climate the lake is located in. This year the drought is not the problem, it is the drought busting winter causing the headaches this time. Antero is a very shallow lake and with the amount of ice and snow on top the oxygen levels are at dangerously low levels. Light penetration is not producing the growth of plants which in return provide oxygen to the lake. We will have to wait and see how the resistent fish of Antero adapt to yet another problem.

Doc's in Paradise

Saturday's trip was a nice way to get back in the saddle of the guide season and I was certain that Sunday would be a much different experience with three anglers hitting Depuy's for a day of fishing. Saturday's trip with Rod was quick and to the point, he wanted to get some ideas of places to fish on his own and his only real concern was getting back in time to hit Bridger for a half day of skiing. The prospect of chasing around three guys on the spring creeks was a bit daunting and I knew that I would be dead tired at the end of the day. Fortunately when I arrived at the lodge I found out that two of the clients for the day were very experienced anglers who lived over the divide in Missoula. Running back and forth between three novice anglers can typically is like trying to compete in an Iron Man Triathlon.

When I arrived at the lodge I found out that Kent was the only one there and the other two were already in Livingston at the Super 8 hotel. Kent needed to stop by his house and pick up his license so we planned on meeting back up in Livingston with the other two. It was nice to make the drive by myself, especially since the truck ride to and from the river is usually the part of the day that I dislike the most. When we arrived in Livingston the weather was ideal with clouds hanging low in the valley and not a breath of wind. We made a quick stop at the Yellowstone Angler to pick up a pair of flip mitts for Kent. Luckily George was at the shop taking care of a few things and he had the door open. After shooting the breeze with George for a moment and the clients picking up a few things we headed for the creek.

Betty was in great spirits and the typical oddities of the house and the property were discussed with the clients. For those of you who have never been to Depuy's Spring Creek, I can tell you that the tour of the Southern style plantation Mansion is as much of a highlight as the day of fishing can be. The home was built by Betty's father who had mimicked a Plantation home he saw on a Calender from South Carolina. He built a fountain in the front that has two howling wolves and in it's hay day water spouted out of the wolves mouths. Inside the home there are some very interesting photo's that are about 6 feet wide and 4 feet tall. One of them is of Betty's sister fishing on the creek and the other one is a photo of a mid 1960's Miss Montana fishing on the creek as well. They also have some local travertine walls and a Pun ta Fan from India in the living room. First time visitors are always amazed with the place and you really need to see it to believe it.

We got all the paper work and payments made so we headed for the Lower Hut to get the day started. Bob Fry was there and he got a fire going for us in the hut so that we could come in and warm up when we got cold. Everyone got their waders on and rods rigged. I handed out an assortment of flies to the two Doc's from Missoula and sent them on down to fish below the hut. We rigged Kent's rod and headed down to fish below them. Matt took up the prime spot on the corner and Sam was fishing just above him. Sam was fast to his second fish by the time that we made it to the deep run below Matt. Apparently the flies I dissed out were working pretty well. As I got Kent into position Matt hooked up with a very nice rainbow. I gave Kent a quick idea of where he wanted to cast and I ran off to net Matt's fish. Matt surfed a healthy Yellowstone River male rainbow right into my net and I mentioned that there must be some fish starting to move in from the river to get ready for the spawning activity that should start up in the next few weeks. We released the fish and I set back to help Kent with the spot I had chosen for him. Before I could get back to Kent Matt was into another nice fish and he told me to stay there, he could handle the fish without me. By this time Sam was on the move and looking for another spot to fish. I gave Kent the rundown on where the fish hold and how to read the different colors of the bottom to determine the trenches to run his flies down. I walked Sam down to the slot below the log wing dam and showed him how to approach the spot. He mentioned to me that this type of water doesn't interest him much so I pointed out how he could wade downstream a bit and cross over to the riffle below. He said that looked much more appealing and I headed back to help Kent some more. Sam did give the first spot a try and he hooked up within a few cast. Matt was also landing his fourth fish of the day and it appeared we were in for some good fishing. Matt was running a Grey Spring Creek Scud # 16 trailed with a # 18 Heathen and I had Sam setup with # 18 Barr Emerger with a # 18 Big Ugly trailing off the back.

Kent was struggling a bit and I had to adjust his weight so that he didn't hang up on each cast. Kent had a good spot in the run but when the clouds are over head it can be a bit more difficult to fish the spot he is in. There are not a lot of occasions when the bright sunshine helps you out but for the spot Kent was in the sun does give you the ability to spot the fish and see what depth and where they are feeding the most actively. Matt kept roping in one fish after another with the majority of the fish falling prey to the heathen. A few fish ate the scud as well but it was obvious what the fish were really looking for. Sam was around the corner by this time and Matt had pretty much put a hurtin on the corner hole. He landed 8 fish and lost a couple of more so we decided to head downstream a bit.

I put Kent in the best hole on the creek and sent the other two on a trek to the bottom of the creek where the culvert lets the creek flow into the Yellowstone. Kent and I waded across to the deep hole below the slough and I gave him the rundown on where to cast and how to make the right presentation. He blew the first two fish because he was not used to the small movement of the indicator and set the hook a bit late. Finally he got on the board with a nice 18 inch bow. He managed to land a half dozen fish from this spot and I we decided to see how the other's were doing. My stomach was starting to growl a bit from all the running back and forth so I also wanted to see if they were getting ready for some lunch.

I rounded the corner expecting to see them fishing the two deep runs above the culvert but they were both standing about 20 feet upstream of the culvert drifting their flies into the culvert. They were hooking a fish every couple of drifts so I headed down to investigate what they were doing. I set Kent up in the deep run below the log and headed for the two Doc's to see what was going on, and to see if they were hungry yet. There was a ton of fish stacked in the culvert trying to get into the creek and the two of them were in a mess of trout. It was pretty amazing to watch the number of fish that were migrating past them as they fished. Kent hooked a couple of fish above and after the two of them landed a dozen or so fish a piece I brought up the subject of lunch. They said they would be right up and we stopped to fish some fish that I spotted on the way down. Matt hooked and landed another 5 fish from the Beaver Hut hole and then we all headed for the hut and some lunch.

Sam wanted a shot at the hole I put Kent in earlier so I told him to head up in ten minutes or so and I would have lunch ready. The hut was like a sauna when I arrived and I had to open the door and let it cool off a bit. I set up lunch and all three of them hit the hut ready for some food. Julie had made some great Sandwich's that were complemented by some good ole fashioned Chicken Noodle soup, chips, grapes and a pasta salad. We ate lunch and shoot the shit for a while. After lunch we decided to head up the creek to see if there were any bugs hatching closer to the spring. We drove up through the middle of the creek and there was not much going on. After getting to the upper hut we decided to give the top of the creek a try and after an hour and one fish between the three of them it was obvious that most of the fish were in the lower end of the creek right now. Kent also needed to get home to pack for a trip to Dallas so we headed back to the cars and the lower hut. Sam and Matt wanted to give the plunge pool below the pond a try so we fished up the creek to the plunge pool. By this time it was getting close to 4 o'clock and the fishing was shutting down. Sam had one strike in the plunge pool and by the time Matt and I got up to the sheep bridge he was heading back to the car. Matt wanted a shot at the plunge as well so we walked up and fished below a group of trumpeter swans that watched intently as we fished the hole. Matt got one take in the plunge pool and then he decided he had enough. They also had to drive all the way back to Missoula that night so getting on the road sounded good to them. The day was a lot of fun and the fish were really keyed in on the midge pupae more than anything else. I packed up the truck and I sent the two heart Doc's back to Missoula, I told them to keep an eye out for my light blue Super Puma in the coming weeks on the Bitteroot.

Watching someone else complete your quest!

Friday was a scouting day for the upcoming weekend guide trips and it started out as a beautiful day. My good friend Shook stopped by the house and wanted to take the dogs out for a run. We loaded Trico and Tater into the back of the pickup and threw in a rod and a handful of midge adults in case I saw a few rising fish. I have been on a quest to get the first fish of the year on a dry fly for the past two weeks and this day was not shaping up to be the day either. The sun was bright and high with only a few wispy clouds hanging around. The midge hatch on the Lower Madison has been getting better and better each day but the weather has been to nice and finding a fish that doesn't spook has been a monumental task.

After stopping at the Beer Cave for a cheap 12 pack of Olympia we finally hit the highway and were on our way to the river. For those who might be wondering I prefer beer that was brewed in a vat the size of Rhode Island rather than a fancy micro brew beer. When we got to the river it was dead calm and the dirt road on the back side of the river was calling for the dogs and a quick jaunt alongside the truck. We traveled down the back road and once we hit the Indian Rings we kicked the dogs out of the truck to get a bit of exercise, Trico really needs some after spending a lazy winter inside. We took the lazy route and ran the dogs in front of the truck because we only wanted heavy breathing from the dogs. We arrived at what we call "Gagne's Box" and there were a dozen or so fish rising in the slow current directly next to the shoreline. The dogs took a drink from the river and I readied my rod with a Griffith's Gnat trailed with a Cripple Thor.

Once the rod was rigged I headed for the water and stripped out 30 feet of fly line. I started my cast and let a perfect cast fall just to the side of the rising fish with the fly floating right down the feeding lane. I thought the cast was perfect but after it made the drift the fish were done. The spot that they like to rise in is only about a foot of water and with the bright sun shining down I thought there was a good chance I would only get a couple of shots, and I was spot on in my thinking. I reeled up the flies and headed back for my ice cold beer. We waited and watched to see if the fish would come back up and after 10 minutes I knew that the quest was not going to be completed on a day like this. It was now time to take a few pictures and let the dogs burn off their pent up energy.

We spent the rest of the afternoon touring the gravel roads of the Gallatin Valley. The trip took us down the Madison with a quick stop at the Buffalo Jump and then on up to Logan. We took the frontage road up the Gallatin with a quick stop at Sir Scott's for a double tall Captain and Coke. After a quick fill up and another 6 pack of beer we headed along the East Gallatin and along the foothills of the Bridger's looking for "Snow Gophers" and to see if the elk were sitting on the "Running Elk Ranch". We completed the loop and headed back to the house so that I could tie up a few flies for my half day wade trip the next morning.

Saturday morning we were greeted with snow showers and socked in cloud cover that was ideal for a great day of fishing. I packed up my guide gear, filled the thermos with coffee and stocked the cooler with water and sodas. Reece and Moira were still asleep when I left the house to meet my client. I arrived at the shop and the client arrived ready for a few hours on the river. The customary introductions were made and we fitted him with a pair of boots and waders. While they were filling out his license I gave Rod the rundown on my plans for the day. I told him the weather was prime for the Lower Madison. Rod ask me if there was any chance we could fish the Gallatin instead, his in laws had moved to Bozeman last year and he wanted to get acquainted with some access points as well as get some pointers on fishing the Gallatin when he returned for visits in the future. I was happy to accomodate his request so we changed course and headed up the Gallatin Canyon for a tour mixed with a little bit of fishing. On the ride Rod told me off his fishing experiences and mentioned that he had not done much nymph fishing and the little bit he has done he did not really enjoy. I told him we could look for some dry fly fishing but that the Gallatin midges were just getting started and I had not seen a lot of fish rising on the river in the past week. I pulled off and showed him some of the productive spots along the river to fish and we finally made it up to the highway bridge that crosses over the Gallatin just north of the Big Sky turn off. There is a nice back eddy below the bridge and if there were going to be any fish rising they would be in the foam in the back eddy.

We put on our waders and headed for the spot below the bridge. I could not believe my eyes when we got to the spot, there were a dozen fish poking their heads out from below the foam. I knew that we could catch them and I was a bit disappointed because I was going to have to sit back and watch as someone else caught fish on a dry fly. The "Sipper Midge" I tied on for Rod entice a fish on the first cast and it was sure great to see a head finally take the fly from the surface. Rod set the hook and after a brief tug the fish was gone. We sat in the hole for an hour and Rod landed one nice feisty rainbow and lost another 7 fish that ate the fly. The rod guides were freezing and soon Rod's feet were feeling the cold as well. He had enjoyed the fishing a ton and wanted to see some other areas that he could fish on later visits. We headed back down the Canyon and I took him for a tour up the Squaw Creek Canyon to see the River Run's Through it Rock and show him the nice access that is away from the roar of the traffic on Hwy 191. His feet were still cold and he needed to get back to pick up his father in law and meet up with the family for a half day of skiing at Bridger Bowl.

I dropped him off back at his rental car and we talked about doing some more fishing when he returns in the summer. We had a great time and I am looking forward to fishing with him again even though I had to sit and watch him complete my quest for the one on a dry fly.

Thursday Outdoor Roundup

Bozeman Daily Comical: Fish Porn Tour arrives in Montana.

No link to this article but the AEG Fly Fishing Film Tour makes it's appearance in both Missoula and Bozeman this coming week. For those who are not familiar with the film tour it is a series of short films that a group of guys who call themselves the Angling Exploration Group put on each year. The films are very hip and remind me more of snowboard films than anything. The footage is great and all I can say is that I do get a bit jealous that they can travel all over the world in search of fish. It is definetly generation X's take on fishing and for me it can be a bit over the top.

Billings Gazette: Just for kids: Get your fishing gear ready

http://billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/02/21/features/outdoors/30-kids.txt

Mark Henkle brings us another good article on the rights of spring and getting your gear from the garage and cleaning any mouse nest or cob webs from the old tackle box. Spring also brings out the itch to get the kids outside and spend some quality family time at local ponds as the ice thaws.

Missoulian: This time of year, fishing can be hit and miss

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/02/21/outdoors/out18.txt

A roundup of late season ice fishing throughout Western Montana. Not much for the fly angler but there are some reports on fishing for perch and trout on the lakes around the Missoula area.

Denver Post: River's recovery suddenly threatened

http://www.denverpost.com/huntfish/ci_8307816

This week there was an annoucement of a possible enviornmental catastrophe from an old mining tunnel located near the Headwaters of the Arkansas River in Colorado. Mining has some steep history in Colorado and an old tunnel that is blocked has over a billion gallons of contaminated water sitting behind the plug. If the tunnel lets loose it will send heavy metals such as zinc and cadmium down the river and pretty much kill one of Colorado's finest freestone rivers. The problem could also cause a substantial loss of human life as there is a trailer park located near the tunnel's mouth. This is a major problem facing the state and federal agencies as they try to find a fix to this horrible situation.

Feels like spring is just around the corner!

Back to the bench was the plan for this morning when I hit the sack last night. I started my day with a bit of breakfast and the usual caous that consumes our household every morning. Reece wanted to wear the same clothes as he did the day before and my wife was upset with him and the fact she was running late. In the midst of the situation the phone rang and it was Jason on the other end of the line. He started the conversation with "don't you ever check your voicemail ? " I am not one that cares much for his cell phone and I do at times find my mailbox full, especially in the winter when the only ones calling are friends looking to pull me away from my fly tying and household duties. His second question inquired if I would be ready by 8:30 to go and get recertified on my First Aid, which expired two days ago. I had totally forgot about the challenge course and I told him I would get Reece to school and be ready when he got here.

I sent the wife off to work and had Reece get his shoes and coat on so that we could drop him off on our way down to the Red Cross office. Jason arrived at the house and we jumped in the truck on our way to daycare. Reece loves to see Jason because he likes to rough house and what 5 year boy doesn't like to do that. We made it to the Red Cross office and the test went off without any hitches. I was Fifty bucks lighter in the wallet but at least I was in compliance and did not have to deal with the Red Cross for another three years. After the certification class we headed to Sportsman's Whorehouse because Jason needed to pick up another cot and bed roll for the lodge. We also made a quick stop at IHOP for some breakfast, which also gave Jason time to convince me my fly orders could wait and that we needed to fish. Jason is having his shoulder operated on and this would be his last day to get out before the surgery. With fourty degree weather it is hard to make an argument about staying indoors and not getting out to enjoy the weather.

After a quick stop at the house to pick up the dog, waders and the rest of my gear we headed to the lodge. We discussed wether to just fish at the "trench" or wether we should take a drive up the canyon and check out the "Hog Hole." The "trench" is the home hole and we guide and fish it all the time so we decided to head up the canyon and try and catch one of the escapees in the "Hog Hole." As we drove up the canyon the river looked very tasty and I noted several spots to fish in case there was someone in the spot we wanted. There were only a couple of other anglers out on the Gallatin and we fiqured our chances were pretty good that the "Hog Hole" would be open. As we rounded the corner into Big Sky there was a car parked in the parking spot along the road and we had to make a decision about where we wanted to fish. We turned the truck around and as we were going heading back to the parking area I recognized the car and told Jason we could walk down to one of the lower holes, which holds the Ancency monsters on occassion as well.

We had already put on our waders back at the lodge so we just needed to grab our rods and take the short walk along the guard rail to get to the river. When we got down to the hole Charlie was releasing a nice rainbow and Ben was re rigging his rod. Ben was stuck fishing on the road side of the river because he had caught his waders on one of the guard rail bolts and tore an "L" shape hole in his waders that was probably 5 inches by 8 inches long and right above his boot. He was not in the mood to wet wade in the 30 degree water. They mentioned catching a couple of fish on a Sculpin and after shooting the breeze for a few minutes Jason and I headed down river to ply a few fish from under the bridge. Unfortunately the deep hole only produced one 13 inch Yellowstone Cutthroat for me and a skunking for Jason. We fished the hole for about an hour and I ran the gammet of flies trying to ping a good one. After catching the cutthroat we made the decision to head back up and see if Charlie and John had done any better. They both had a couple of more fish but it was still very slow for them as well.

Charlie offered up his spot on the opposite bank, I had my fill of fishing for the day but Jason decided to give it a go. John and I sat on the bank shooting the breeze about our days spent living in Colorado and Charlie joined in on the conversation a short time later. Jason stung a couple of fish on the opposite shore and after sitting on the snowy bank for twenty minutes my rear end started to get a bit cold. Jason waded back across the river and we headed for the truck. The fishing was great but the catching was pretty slow so we headed back down the canyon and called it a day. The warmer weather this past week does have the juices flowing and I am really looking forward to the next couple of months and all the great spring fishing that is just around the corner.